Company officials said that the solar panel project is the largest photovoltaic solar system supplying solar energy to any pharmaceutical company in the state. The project is also one of the largest of its kind for a non-utility company on the East Coast and one of the largest solar panel installations for the pharmaceutical industry around the world.

The new system will generate approximately 12.9 million kilowatt hours of solar electricity per year. It will provide the primary Lilly manufacturing facility with about 45 percent of its annual electricity needs from solar energy. This is the equivalent of almost 1,200 homes being supplied with all their electricity for a year, officials said. KDC Solar developed, owns and will operate the solar panel system.

A ribbon cutting ceremony marking the commencement of commercial operations was conducted at the solar project site on Wednesday.

“Lilly is proud to receive the energy production from this on-site system,” said Ed Canary, vice president for health, safety and environment said in a prepared statement. “Having a clean renewable energy solution helps us continue our environmental stewardship by reducing greenhouse gas emissions as well as costs.”

KDC Solar signed an engineering and construction contract for the installation of the solar project with The Whiting-Turner Contracting Co. and SPI Solar. Whiting-Turner, a Baltimore-based general construction contracting company, was the general contractor and California-based SPI Solar provided solar panel procurement and oversight. The solar panel system uses 40,180 PV panels, and 16 Advanced Energy Industries 500 kilowatt inverters.

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